1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to agricultural tools, and in particular, to a cultivator sweep having an improved narrow design for enhancing operation of the sweep, and a coupling or attachment between the sweep and a supporting shank.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
It is conventional to provide field cultivator sweeps that are drawn through the soil for the purpose of loosening earth for seeding, and to kill weeds which otherwise might rob the soil of valuable moisture and nutrients.
A well known form of cultivator sweep has a generally V-shape configuration with a nose portion including a forwardmost ground penetrating point and a pair of wing portions which diverge outwardly and rearwardly from said point. During operation, the cultivator sweep is normally disposed about 3 inches to about 6 inches below the top surface of the soil.
Standard assemblies for cultivator sweeps typically include an upright shank connected at its upper end and extending downwardly to a receiving portion of the sweep. The shank being generally attached to a mobile agricultural apparatus. Available mounting means for attaching the shank to the sweep include bolts extending through aligned holes in the sweep and the shank. Another known mounting structure includes the use of a tapered adapter brackets fastened to the end of a self-locking fit with a taper on the sweeps. However problems associated with such assemblies include loss of sweeps during transport if the tapers do not match correctly or if the sweep is not mounted with sufficient force.
In many of the shank assemblies that have a quick attaching feature for mounting the sweep on the shank, a relatively wide profile is presented along the shank and at the mounting location of the sweep. Such a profile generally results in unwanted residue disturbance and higher draft loads.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome shortcomings of the prior art.